Written Answers

Friday 7 April 2000

Scottish Executive

Digital Scotland Task Force

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Digital Scotland Task Force will report, whether the report will contain recommendations and what the arrangements will be for its publication.

Peter Peacock: The Digital Scotland Task Force is due to report to the Ministerial Committee on Digital Scotland in the first half of May. The task force was asked to give advice on actions to ensure that Scotland obtains and retains maximum economic and social advantage from digital technologies, and I expect that it will make recommendations to support this advice. The Executive’s intention is to consult publicly on the task force report as soon as possible after it is finalised.

Education

Maureen Macmillan (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it proposes to support and expand the school library service, particularly in relation to the function of school libraries as a central IT resource for schools and the role of librarians in facilitating use of the Internet and CD-ROMS.

Peter Peacock: The organisation and structure of school library services are matters for the individual local authorities. We recognise the contribution school librarians can make to the delivery of the education service in a number of ways, including their skills in the area of information technology. School librarians in Scotland are being offered training in the use of information and communications technology as part of a £23 million programme supported by the New Opportunities Fund, a National Lottery distribution body.

Education Maintenance Allowances

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, in the light of the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s budget statement on 21 March 2000, whether it intends to extend the Education Maintenance Allowance Scheme for over 16s.

Henry McLeish: Education Maintenance Allowances are designed to encourage more young people to remain in full-time education at school or FE college. There is currently a single three-year EMA pilot in Scotland which commenced in August 1999.

  The Scottish Executive is considering how to allocate the Barnett formula consequentials of the Chancellor’s announcement.

Europe

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which members and staff of the EU Commission Mr Jack McConnell met on 21 March 2000 during his visit to Brussels, and what issues were discussed.

Mr Jack McConnell: I met Commissioner Barnier to discuss structural fund issues, including our overall approach to implementation of the new round of structural funds in Scotland as well as the negotiations on the Special Programme for the Highlands & Islands. I saw Commissioner Schreyer to discuss issues of mutual interest concerning budgetary matters and financial management. I also met Claude Chene, Head of the Commission’s Task Force on Reform, and launched a seminar on the Equal Opportunities Toolkit at which Commission staff and others were present.

Europe

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the meetings at which it has been represented of (a) the European Union Council of Ministers and (b) other European Union bodies since 1 July 1999.

Mr Jack McConnell: Scotland is part of the UK and the Scottish Executive is therefore represented at all meetings of the EU Council of Ministers by the UK delegation, however it is constituted.

Fisheries

Maureen Macmillan (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to allay concerns about escapes from fish farms.

Mr John Home Robertson: I am very conscious of the concerns which arise when, more often than not as a result of severe weather conditions, escapes occur from fish farms.

  A small group, chaired by the Scottish Executive Rural Affairs Department, and involving representatives of wild fish interests and the aquaculture industry has been reviewing the matter and I shall be issuing today its report for public comment. The report stresses the importance of preventative measures, of improving reporting arrangements, and of having in place mechanisms for recapturing the escaped fish where this is deemed appropriate.

  Copies of the report have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Genetically Modified Crops

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has a legal obligation to licence the carrying out of genetically modified crop trials if an application is submitted.

Ross Finnie: The growing of GM crops is highly regulated at European level. It is for Scottish Ministers to decide whether or not to grant consents for Scottish trials, including farm scale evaluations, of genetically modified (GM) crops. We do so upon the advice of our independent scientific advisers and the only ground for refusal is that we have sound scientific reason for so refusing.

  Refusal to grant deliberate release consent would be illegal under governing European and domestic law unless such refusal was, as stated above, based on sound scientific evidence.

Homelessness

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects the report of the Homelessness Task Force due in February 2000 to be published.

Ms Wendy Alexander: I refer Ms Hyslop to my answer to question S1W-5731.

Housing

Mike Watson (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a progress report on the work of the Glasgow Housing Partnership Steering Group.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Steering Group, which has been co-chaired by Councillor James Coleman and myself, has now finalised a framework within which tenants and others can be fully engaged in developing a housing transfer proposal in Glasgow. Arrangements are being made for the framework document to be sent to SPICe.

  The framework lays the foundations for tenant-led change to create better homes and stronger communities, tackle the council’s housing debt burden and attract private finance of £1,000 million to secure new investment and create jobs. Tenants will have a key role to play in all the structures set out in the framework, which will enable a transfer proposal to be developed as part of Glasgow’s wider regeneration. The framework promotes local community empowerment, control and ownership.

  A range of partners, including the council, its tenants and staff, Scottish Homes, and the existing housing associations and tenant management co-ops in the city, will now build on the framework. Provided a transfer proposal meets value for money criteria, is affordable and is supported by tenants in a ballot, the Executive is committed to servicing the council’s residual housing debt burden after transfer.

  As a result of the finalisation of the framework document, I am pleased that the First Minister has authorised the release of an additional £2.3 million of New Housing Partnerships funding to enable the next phases of work to commence.

Local Government Finance

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Finance will provide the additional information on non-domestic rate calculation as referred to in column 544 of the Official Report of the Local Government Committee, 8th meeting, on 7 March 2000.

Mr Jack McConnell: I wrote to the Convenor of the Local Government Committee about this matter on 23 March, a copy of which is available in SPICe.

Social Inclusion

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the Action Plan detailing how it proposes to achieve the social justice targets set out in Social Justice… a Scotland where everyone matters .

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Social Justice Action Plan will be published after the Easter recess.

Social Inclusion

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made towards developing the Annual Scottish Social Justice Report and when it expects this report to be published.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Work to collect and analyse the data necessary to measure progress towards our social justice targets and milestones is ongoing across the Executive. The first Annual Social Justice Report will be published in the autumn.

Social Inclusion

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to launch its Social Neighbourhoods Initiative.

Ms Wendy Alexander: I shall be making an announcement shortly.

Social Inclusion

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to begin training for the Community Participation Skills Development Programme.

Ms Wendy Alexander: A contract for the design and delivery of the Community Participation Skills Development Programme will be awarded very shortly, with training due to start in the summer.